How can classroom science teachers use the inquiry page to enhance teaching and learning?
Jeni Weidenbenner
(MzWeidster@aol.com)
(ready to use)
Coauthors
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Jill Hartlieb, Karen Leong |
ASK
Partner Projects
Subject Areas
Grade Levels
| 3, 7, Undergraduate, Graduate, Continuing |
Unit Keywords
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NBDL, curriculum design, ISTA, Illinois Science Teachers Association, science, lesson plans |
Open Directory Category
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Using the dmoz directory, teachers can find web sites that correlate to lesson units. |
Rationale of the Unit
As an introduction to using the inquiry page as a curriculum design tool, let's explore each section of the inquiry page in relation to typical lesson planning formats.
A brief rationale can include objectives. What do you want students to be able to do at the end of the unit? Why is that important?
The inquiry page is a tool for both sharing your lessons with fellow educators and for guiding your students in an inquiry-based investigation of a particular topic. |
Background and Resources
BACKGROUND -- brief overview, or URL for the overview article.
Here are four inquiry page units you can view:
http://inquiry.uiuc.edu/bin/update_unit.cgi?command=select&xmlfile=u11096.xml [What do roots, stems, and leaves do for plants?] -- created by Jeni Weidenbenner for 5th-8th grades]
http://inquiry.uiuc.edu/bin/update_unit.cgi?command=select&xmlfile=u11095.xml [What are cells? -- created by Jeni Weidenbenner for 6th-10th grades]
http://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/bin/update_unit.cgi?command=select&xmlfile=u10352.xml ["What is life like in a desert biome?" -- created by Jill Hartlieb for 3rd grade]
http://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/bin/update_unit.cgi?command=select&xmlfile=u10363.xml ["Are great white sharks really man eaters?" -- created by Karen Leong for 7th grade]
In this section of the IP, add links or write a brief description of the goal(s) and objectives of the unit. This is also a good place to write your anticipatory set -- what will you do to introduce the unit and engage students?
In this case of this inquiry unit, teachers will be able to incorporate the inquiry page into their lesson planning and sharing processes.
READINGS -- texts, slides, audio/video
Textbooks, tradebooks, articles, videos that will be used in the unit may be listed here with annotations. Complete bibliographic information will help colleagues locate correct resources, and annotations will help you remember why each resource is important to the unit.
WEB SITES -- sites for exploration and interaction.
Include both web sites that have helped you in developing the unit and web sites that may be appropriate for students to view. Annotate which is which for future reference.
RESOURCES AND SUPPLEMENT MATERIALS
Have you found other resource materials and/or persons that will be valuable during the unit?
What other materials will you have on hand in the classroom during this unit? A map? A globe? A VCR? An internet-ready computer?
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Activities and Open-ended problems
IN-CLASS ACTIVITIES -- activities and discussions within synchronous classes
You might choose to set this section up as a day-by-day or step-by-step game plan for the duration of your unit. You may wish to describe learning centers that will be set up within the classroom to correspond with the units.
Include whole-class and small group activities as well as special presentations on the topic of discovery. You may even tie in the Inquiry Page by having *students* design their own inquiry units for the topic. For example, each student can have a "guiding question" for the unit and can focus their study around their attempts to answer their question. Students could create their own questions or the whole class could work on the same question.
LAB ACTIVITIES -- work to do in labs or other special settings
Lab activities can include both traditional science experiments as well as simulations and other activities that might require a special set up. If you're exploring a topic that doesn't lend itself to many science experiments, you may want to design a simulation of the topic/environment you're trying to study. Hands-on learning exercises can be developed for any topic and will fully engage students in the investigation and creative process. If you're looking for some ideas to jump start you, check out the Science is . . . sourcebook for elementary science ideas (Susan V. Bosak, 1991, Scholastic Canada, ISBN#0-590-74070-9). This book is divided into short and extended activity sections that cover most of the divisions of science study.
ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE OF CLASS / INDEPENDENT WORK
What will students do for homework? Will they have short, daily assignments or one larger project to focus on during the unit? Some suggestions include:
* conduct interviews of science professionals who work in an area related to the topic (either by phone, e-mail, or in person)
* identify current issues in television news, magazines, and newspapers that shed light on the topic
* do a backyard or neighborhood investigation that relates to the topic (i.e. measure precipitation, determine the wildlife in a subdivision, identify trees in a neighborhood)
* implement a service project (i.e. encourage people to recycle or to pick up trash on their street or to use environmentally-sound birdfeeders)
OPEN-ENDED PROBLEMS -- creative extensions
These may tie in to the section above, or they may be separate and require more in-depth, longer term investigation. You may want to include options for extra credit or for enrichment for more advanced students. Open-ended problems will help you differentiate your instruction for a variety of learners.
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Dialogues, Discussions, and Presentations
FACE-TO-FACE DIALOGUES
Help students make connections between school and community by inviting expert guest speakers into your classroom. If there are no neighboring universities, science foundations, or museums, a guest speaker may even be a parent who works in the field and can share their knowledge with the class.
You could also include activities that require students to be the "experts." Students can create a panel simulation of experts or a town meeting and present information they've learned. Students can learn from this experience by being both the presenters and the audience (if the audience is involved in critiquing the information or giving feedback to the presenters).
You may have already included these exercises in the create section of your unit, so you may just refer back to that point in the unit instead of putting new information in this section.
GROUP DIALOGUES
Group dialogues can include small group discussions or brainstorming activities or simulations. Again, you may want to refer back to the "create" section if you've already included such activities.
ON-LINE DIALOGUES
The on-line environment has many opportunities for students to chat with scientists--either in their area or far away. Search for these opportunities by visiting the web sites of familiar science museums and foundations or by contacting local university science departments to see if on-line chat sessions can be set up with your students.
IN-CLASS DISCUSSIONS
These activities may mirror the small-group dialogues or activities posed in the "create" section, or they may present opportunities for new interaction among class members at various points during the topic exploration.
PRESENTATIONS
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Assessment, Related Questions, and Story of the Unit
We learn from our reflections on our work. This is true for students as well. Often, having a daily "think and write" question for students to respond to in journals is a good way to encourage students to reflect along the path of learning. Encouraging reflection in pairs or small groups is another way to foster critical thinking.
ASSESSMENT
How will you assess student learning?
Will you give quizzes and tests?
Will you have students create a portfolio of their work?
Do you have a rubric for grading?
How will you assess group work?
Will students do any self-assessment of their work?
How will student work be shared with others?
How will the unit be shared with other colleagues?
RELATED QUESTIONS
Do you have new questions for next time you teach this unit?
Do you need to change anything for future explorations?
Do the students have new questions that will guide them in continued individual explorations?
Have you discovered any new resources during the course of the unit?
STORY OF THE UNIT -- How did it go?
What worked best?
What needs to be altered for next time (or thrown out completely)?
What did the students think of the experience?
How well did students meet the objectives?
RESPONSES FROM OTHERS (teachers)
Do other educators have suggestions for the unit?
Do field professionals have suggestions for the unit?
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Credits & Acknowledgements
| Thanks to Jill Hartlieb and Karen Leong for creating and sharing units for science classrooms. |
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